67. Hire an inexperienced worker with low salary or an experienced one with high salary?

A company's human capital might very well be its greatest asset. As a result, a lot of thinking has to go into hiring a new employee. Naturally, in order to maximize profits, a company will want to employ a well-qualified candidate who is willing to work for very little money. Depending on the position that is to be filled, experience is an important qualification for which a company will have to pay a high salary, but often other intangibles such aptitude, initiative, and creativity are just as important, and they might be compromised by prior experience.

There are positions for which extensive experience is absolutely necessary or at least extremely helpful. For example, an airline will not hire inexperienced pilots to fly their biggest passenger planes for good reason, and an investment firm will not allow a recent college graduate to manage the portfolios of their most important clients. In these areas specialized knowledge gained from experience is mandatory. Similarly, when it comes to managing or supervising other workers, knowledge of the subject matter is important but even more important is the ability to communicate effectively. This skill can only be developed through experience. Therefore, a company that wants to be successful immediately will have to pay for this kind of experience.

Sometimes a company will be better off hiring a candidate with less experience. Not only will this prospective employee command a lower salary, but his/her lack of prior experience will allow him/her to learn new procedures more quickly, as he/she will not have to unlearn old ones. Similarly, employers often complain that seasoned workers have become rusty in their established routines. They lack the initiative and drive of their youthful counterparts. Finally, creative positions are often filled with people who have little experience because these individuals are still open to new trends and movements, as opposed to being committed to old fads. Therefore, if I was an employer, I would try to make a decision based on the requirements of the position I have to fill and the qualities of the candidates applying for the job.

译文

67. 雇用无经验低薪酬的员工还是有经验高薪酬的？

一个公司的最大财产可能是它的人力资源。因此，雇用新员工需要花很多心思。很自然地，为了把利益最大化，公司希望雇用素质好而又价低的员工为自己工作。根据职位的不同，具备经验可能是很重要的资格，公司愿意出高薪聘用有经验的人。但是另外一些看不见的品质，如天资、主动性、创造性等也非常重要，不过可以由经验弥补。

有些职位需要非常丰富的经验，譬如，我们都能理解航空公司不会雇用没有经验的飞行员驾驶最大的客机，投资公司也不会让新招聘的大学毕业生管理最重要的客户资料。同样，在管理员工的时候，虽然相关专业知识很重要，但是有效交流的能力更重要。这种能力只能靠以往的经验获得。因此，希望迅速成功的公司应聘用有经验的员工。

有时公司雇用没有经验的员工反而更好。像这样有光明前途的员工不仅索要的薪水低，而且由于没有相关经验，他或她能更快地学习新程序，而不用忘记脑中原有的东西。同样，雇主经常抱怨老员工墨守成规。与年轻同事相比，他们缺乏创新、缺少动力。最后，创造性的职位往往由没有经验的人担任，因为他们能够接受新趋势、新发展，而不是抱着旧事物不放。因此，如果我是个老板，我会根据职位的要求和应聘者的条件做出决定。

Word List

• capital ［ˈkæpitl］ n. 资本，资产
• portfolio ［pɔ:tˈfəuliˌəu］ n. 部长
• salary ［ˈsæləri］ v. 薪水，薪金
• mandatory ［ˈmændəˌtɔ:ri］ adj. 命令的；强制的
• intangible ［inˈtændʒəbəl］ adj. 难以明了的；无形的
• prospective ［prəˈspektiv］ adj. 未来的；预期的
• aptitude ［ˈæptiˌtu:d］ n. 智能，聪明
• initiative ［iˈniʃətiv］ n. 主动权，主动
• procedure ［prəˈsi:dʒə］ n. 程序，手续
• compromise ［ˈka:mprəˌmaiz］ v. 妥协，折衷
• rusty ［ˈrʌsti］ adj. 生锈的；迟钝的
• fad ［fæd］ n. 时尚；一时流行的狂热
• pilot ［ˈpailət］ n. 飞行员；领航员